Summary


Rule 68B-34.002, F.A.C. (Definitions) would be amended to include definitions for organized tournament, person, and target. The definition of harvest would be modified to remove an allowance for temporary possession of a fish for measuring to determine compliance with size limits. Definitions of land and total length would be removed. Rule 68B-34.003, F.A.C. (Bonefish Size Limit; Bag and Possession Limits; Exception, Gear Restriction) would be renamed Bonefish Gear Restriction; Harvest Prohibited and would be modified to eliminate the size, harvest, and possession limits for bonefish and the requirement for bonefish to be landed in whole condition. This section would also be amended to clarify that bonefish may only be targeted with hook and line gear. Rule 68B-34.004, F.A.C. (Temporary Possession of Bonefish) would be created to establish a temporary possession limit of one bonefish per person at any one time. Bonefish would be required to be immediately released free, alive, and unharmed, but could be photographed, measured, and weighed at the site of capture prior to release. Rule 68B-34.005, F.A.C. (Bonefish Tournaments, Exemptions) would create a tournament exemption permit that may be issued to the director of an organized catch-and-release tournament in which bonefish are temporarily possessed and transported to a certified scale for a tournament. This section would outline permit conditions, application criteria, and reporting requirements. An application form for the tournament exemption permit would also be created.